6 March 2024

LOCAL HERO WITHDRAWS ENTRY

Linz Grand Prix 2024

LOCAL HERO WITHDRAWS ENTRY

Shamil BORCHASHVILI (AUT/-81), Olympic bronze medallist in Tokyo and runner-up at the Grand Slam tournament in Tashkent (UZB) last Saturday, was supposed to defend his title from last year at the home Upper Austrian Grand Prix in LINZ (AUT) this weekend.
“We rock Linz, my brother and I. I’m sure that one of us will win gold in the end,” said the 28-year-old with confidence. Until Wednesday morning, when the Austrian Judo Federation withdrew the nomination of the world number nine.
“A precautionary measure! Shamil had to go to the golden score four times in a total of five fights in Tashkent. Net fighting time: 21:59 minutes. Then there was the demanding journey back from Uzbekistan. He hasn’t been able to recover properly yet, so it makes more sense to take it easy on him,” explained Judo Austria Sports Director Markus Moser. “I feel very drained and need a few more days off. The decision was very difficult for me, I would have loved to defend my title from last year”, emphasized the number 9 of the IJF world ranking list. “Instead of fighting myself and risking an injury, I will keep my fingers crossed for the Judo Austria team. For Wachid, I hope that the GP victory up to 81 kg stays in the family.”
The Islamic fasting month of Ramadan begins on Monday, 11 March. The Borchashvili brothers Shamil and Wachid will rest with five international training partners during the day and train at night (10 p.m. and 3 a.m. respectively). Shamil Borchashvili: “We already did this last year. This way, the Olympic preparations continue virtually undisturbed.”

The good news: All the other top Austrian athletes – above all Olympic silver medallist Michaela Polleres (-70) and the Grand Slam winners Lubjana Piovesana (-63), Shamils brother Wachid (-81) and Aaron Fara (-100) – will be taking part in the home Grand Prix.

The most important facts and figures about the 2nd Upper Austria Grand Prix:

Author: EJU Media